Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Friday, April 17
Peoria, IL
3 PM
Southern Illinois University
at
Bradley
Dylan Petrey throws a pitch during SIU's 11-5 loss to Arkansas State Tuesday, April 14, 2026, at Itchy Jones Stadium in Carbondale, Ill.
Photo by: Malayna Russell
Friday and Saturday Moved Up as Southern Travels to Bradley
04/16/2026 | 2:43:00 | Baseball
CARBONDALE, Ill. - Southern Illinois' Friday and Saturday games with Bradley were moved up ahead of the series beginning Friday in Peoria.
THE SCHEDULE
THE SCHEDULE
- Friday — 3 p.m. | Live Stats | Watch | Listen
- Saturday — 2 p.m. | Live Stats | Watch | Listen
- Sunday — 1 p.m. | Live Stats | Watch | Listen
THE PROBABLE STARTERS
- Andrew Evans (5-1, 1.80 ERA) vs. Lou Levy (1-2, 10.50 ERA)
- Troy Shepard (1-3, 4.37 ERA) vs. Robert Sanford (1-5, 9.88 ERA)
- TBD vs.TBD
AROUND THE HORN
- Southern Illinois dropped two of three at Evansville last weekend, salvaging the series with a season-high 16 runs in a win on Sunday. The Salukis fell 11-5 in a midweek matchup with Arkansas State Tuesday.
- After his electric pinch-hit grand slam against SEMO, Kyle Mager made the most of his nine at-bats in the series at Evansville, tallying four hits with three doubles and two RBIs on the weekend.
- Tim Simay tallied the team's first four-hit game of the season in Sunday's victory, capping his own impressive weekend with a home run, a double, seven RBIs, and three runs scored in the series.
- After being named the conference's Pitcher of the Week, Andrew Evans fanned a career-high 14 batters in Friday night's game, the most by a Saluki pitcher since Brad Harrison had 13 on March 6, 2018, at SEMO.
- SIU hit a school-record 113 home runs last season, with a large portion of that power returning, led by Michael Mylott and Gabe Petrucelli. The pitching staff also brings back experience, including weekend starter Meade Johnson and reliever Dylan Petrey, while several newcomers are expected to play key positions early in the season.
- Consistent with previous seasons under Rhodes, the Salukis have over 20 new pieces as the season begins. The roster consists of 13 seniors, 15 juniors, three sophomores, and just two freshmen.
RHODES AT THE HELM- Lance Rhodes is in his seventh season as head coach, guiding SIU to back-to-back 40-win seasons for the first time in program history (2021 & 2022). He owns a 209-138 record at SIU, reaching the 200-win mark in a March 3 victory over North Dakota State.
THE MATCHUP- Southern Illinois (13-22, 4-5 MVC) vs. Bradley (8-29, 4-8 MVC)
- Common non-conference opponents: UNLV, UT Martin, SIUE, Lindenwood (SIU: 0-5, BRAD: 3-6)
- SIU leads the all-time series 100-85-1, taking all three matchups in Peoria last season. The Salukis scored their second-most runs in school history with 25 in the series opener on March 28.
- The Braves took two of three from Valparaiso before losing midweek matchups to Iowa and Valparaiso on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively.
- Bradley's strong suit has been stealing bases, swiping 79 bags to lead the Missouri Valley Conference.Â
- They manufacture baserunners without putting the ball in play, leading the conference with 87 hit batters and ranking third with 165 walks taken.
- The pitching staff has taken its lumps, with a 10.54 team ERA. They take, but also give up their fair share of walks with 237 free passes in 2026.
- Landon Lowe has been a star offensively, leading the team and ranking second in the MVC batting .372. Hayden Miller is the biggest threat with nine home runs on the year, tied for third in The Valley. He is also tied with SIU's Julio Guerrero with 17 stolen bases the most in the MVC.
MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE PRESEASON POLLSouthern Illinois was picked to finish second in the Missouri Valley Conference preseason poll. Murray State was selected as the conference favorite, followed by SIU, UIC, Illinois State, and Indiana State.
ÂSix Salukis were named to the MVC Players to Watch list:Simay led SIU with a .351 batting average last season, while Petrey was a key arm out of the bullpen and earned All-MVC Honorable Mention honors.The Salukis have an experienced roster, including only a handful of underclassmen, and rely heavily on leadership with experience in the Saluki Baseball program.
ÂON THE DIAMOND- Southern Illinois returns big offensive production from last season's lineup, including several of the team's top run producers and power hitters. Petrucelli and Mylott headline a group that helped set the program's single-season home run record.
ON THE MOUND- SIU brings back key arms to anchor the pitching staff, including Meade Johnson and Dylan Petrey. The Salukis have also added several transfers, including Andrew Evans, who has been the Friday starter this season. The Kansas State transfer features a fastball that tops out in the mid-90s with multiple wipeout pitches and has been one of The Valley's best arms early on.
- The Salukis are currently second in The Valley with a 5.42 team ERA and lead the league in opponent batting average at .250, allowing the fewest hits and leading the MVC in Ks per nine. They have given up the fewest home runs with 26.
- The bullpen has collected eight saves, second in the conference.
HISTORIC 2025 OFFENSE- SIU ranked 25th nationally and second in the MVC with 500 runs scored in 2025, and led the league with 8.8 runs per game.
- The Salukis were 42nd nationally with 603 hits.
- SIU ranked 10th nationally and first in the MVC with 113 home runs.
- Southern ranks sixth nationally and led the MVC with a .555 slugging percentage.
- The Salukis were tied for 30th nationally and tied for second in the MVC with 124 doubles.
- SIU was second in the MVC and ranked 28th nationally with 17 triples.
- The Salukis were tied for 24th nationally and led the MVC with 33 sacrifice flies.
- SIU was second in the MVC with 81 stolen bases.
- The staff posted five shutouts, tied for 21st nationally and second in the MVC, and boasted 12 saves.
LEAD DAWGS- Kye Watson was the top Saluki hitter in the opening series at Oral Roberts. The freshman from Lititz, Pa., went 5-for-11 at the plate and hit two solo homers in his debut series for Southern.
- Charlie Miller made the most of his first appearance out of the bullpen, pitching three shutout frames with three strikeouts in the opening victory at Oral Roberts.
- Julio Guerrero is tied for the MVC lead with 17 stolen bases, and leads SIU with six home runs. His recent surge has him ranked in The Valley's top 10 of slugging percentage (.571, 8th), hit-by-pitches (9, T-7th), and sacrifice flies (3, T-9th).
- Cecil Lofton leads the MVC with six sacrifice flies.
- Tim Simay leads the Salukis with 41 hits on the season, tied for 10th in the MVC.
- Andrew Evans is second in The Valley and tied for 15th in the nation in ERA (1.80) and has 64 strikeouts, leading in the MVC. He also sports the league's second-best opponent batting average at .195, and the best WHIP (1.04) among qualified pitchers.
- Troy Shepard is fourth in the league with an opponent batting average of .220, seventh with a 4.37 ERA, eighth with a 1.30 WHIP, and fifth with 44 strikeouts.
FOLLOW THE SALUKIS
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Salukis by following the team on Twitter at @SIU_Baseball, on Facebook at Facebook.com/SalukiBaseball, and on Instagram at @SIU_Baseball. Fans can also download the Salukis Mobile App on the App Store or Google Play Store.
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